Factors associated with unintentional weight loss among older adults in a geriatric outpatient clinic of university hospital

Abstract

Background Unintentional weight loss (UWL) is defined as unintentional reduction of more than 5% of baseline body weight over 6 to 12 months. UWL is a common problem in the older adults, resulting in increased rate of morbidity and mortality. With specific reference to Thailand, no information on factors associated with UWL in older adults could be traced. The aims of this research were to identify the factors associated with UWL and to assess the common causes of UWL among older adults in the geriatric outpatient clinic of university hospital. Methods A case-control study was conducted from June 1st, 2020 to December 31st, 2020. Eighty older adults aged 60 years or older were enrolled in the UWL group while the non-UWL group consisted of 160 participants. Data collection was performed by structural questionnaire including baseline characteristics, psychosocial factors, health information, lifestyle behaviors, and medications. The factors associated with UWL were analyzed by using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Causes of UWL were recorded from electronic medical records. Results The mean age of the 240 participants was 79.6 years (SD 7.4). Most patients were female (79.2%) and had fewer than 12 years of education (62.6%). The three common causes of UWL were reduced appetite (20.1%), dementia and behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (13.7%) and medications (11.0%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that a Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score of >1 (OR 2.55, 95% CI 1.37–4.73; P = 0.003), vitamin D deficiency (OR 4.01, 95% CI 1.62–9.97; P = 0.003), and hemoglobin level of <12 g/dL (OR 2.47, 95% CI 1.32–4.63; P = 0.005) were factors significantly associated with UWL. Conclusions Factors associated with UWL were CCI score >1, vitamin D deficiency, and hemoglobin level of <12 g/dl. The early detection of these associated factors, reduced appetite, dementia and polypharmacy may be important in UWL prevention in older adults.

Objectively Assessed Weight Change and All-Cause Mortality among Community-Dwelling Older People

“…In the current study, the data on physical activity were not available, and thus could not be adjusted for as confounder. Polypharmacy is another factor that may impact both weight and mortality risk [ 46 ] but this was not able to be accounted for in these analyses. Changes in waist circumference have been shown to have a strong association with mortality risk in older adults, and it is thought that waist circumference may be a better measurement of risk conferred by adiposity in older adults than weight [ 14 , 47 , 48 ].…”

Independent and joint association of sarcopenia and frailty with mortality in older patients with gastrointestinal cancer: A cohort study with prospective data collection

“…Similar ndings were provided by a recent large prospective study (n = 316,980) using the same criteria (a modi ed version of Fried and EWGSOP2) [30] This vulnerability is related to the components of both frailty and sarcopenia. Unintentional WL for example, promotes in the older population higher mortality due to the higher propensity of infections, bone loss and fracture, higher rates of hospitalization, and poorer quality of life [31,32]. Besides, unintentional WL combined with low MM can hinder the quality of life even more than unintentional WL alone [33][34][35].…”